THEATER REVIEW: Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) @ the Adrienne, 4/23

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THEATER REVIEW: Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) @ the Adrienne, 4/23

POSTED: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 6:15 PM

Filed Under: Arts Theater

Flashpoint Theatre's Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) isn't what you're expecting. Despite the title's reference to the pop superstar and the strangely childish illustration used for advertisement (pictured, right), Crumble is better suited for mature audiences rather than swooning tweens. Utilizing dark humor and heavy symbolism, the play presents an exacting examination of grief in all its contradictions and confusion. The audience is thrown with little ado into a world in which an old apartment manifests as British man in a top hat and the characters' subconscious manifest as Justin Timberlake and Harrison Ford. While it takes several scenes to get your bearings, the bizarre world eventually absorbs you completely. Within the confines of a dilapidated apartment, a mother and daughter slowly fall apart themselves. The plot slowly reveals the two are dealing with the recent and abrupt death of the father. Crumble smartly focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter, creating a poignant and oftentimes heartbreaking portrait. Without ever delving into melodrama, Gigi Naglak is able to move the audience through her honest portrayal of a mother attempting to reconnect with her distant daughter. Her nervous but well-meaning attempts are spot-on, managing to be both endearingly funny and painfully relatable. As daughter Janice, Sara Madden embodies the awkwardness of adolescence. Madden captures this desperation a girl who can only express her emotions through hilarious interactions with her Barbie dolls and an imaginary Justin Timberlake. Yes, ladies, the pop superstar, adorned in a glittery bandana and hands-free microphone, makes an appearance, as does Harrison Ford. In addition to humor, these imagined appearances add an extra layer of desperation to the plot. Instead of reaching out to each other, the mother and daughter can seek comfort only in fantasy romps. Their eventual reconciliation is a long time coming, and is finally discovered under fittingly unusual circumstances. Through May 8, Flashpoint Theatre Co., flashpointtheatre.org. RELATED >> Kaleidoscope, April 22, 2010

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